Silverstein at The Culture Room

Julie Kolakowski gives us the run down of Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein’s show at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale on February 13.

Silverstein was the first ‘screamo’ band I ever listened to. I remember being in 5th grade. The year was 2007. I was beginning my stint on the internet and discovering my music tastes. First, it was Evanescence and Paramore, then Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, and then I got into the stuff with heavier, screaming vocals like Underoath and Silverstein. I would record audio off YouTube onto my Polaroid-brand Mp3 player or have online friends send me Limewire files over Windows Messenger.

Flash forward to 11 years later. I’m in a dark venue with a tall ceiling, Silverstein is on stage, and I’m singing along to the acoustic version of ‘My Heroine’, a song that intertwines melodic singing and verses of screaming, a song I had recorded onto my Mp3 player so many years before.

This song is a crowd favorite. I’ve seen Silverstein a handful of times in three different states and the band never fails to deliver just as much as the crowd never fails to give back. This night at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale was no different. Silverstein played a variety from their albums. They have eight studio albums now, so it’s quite an extensive collection. It was a journey through all the phases of Silverstein, that had I grown up with and that had grown up with me. The crowd was a bit quieter overall when Silverstein played some songs off their new album, but the crowd still nodded and jumped along. Silverstein’s the kind of band where if you’re a fan, you’re all in.

Between songs, Silverstein talked a bit about sports and hockey, asking how the Heat game was going, and commenting just how cheap it was to go to a Florida Panthers game as opposed to a game at home in Canada. Before transitioning back into playing, Shane, the lead singer, would let out a, “I wanna see you jump” or signal ‘open up a circle pit’ with his arms. The crowd was already so pumped up (and on a Tuesday night at that) that Silverstein basically had their work cut out for them.

It was a friendly crowd, bouncing around, singing along, and throwing fists in the air to the music. When Silverstein warned they only had two songs left, everyone made sure to give it their all for the last few minutes. Many a high five were exchanged among the sweaty, smiling new friends in the crowd as the lights dimmed back, ending the set. Until next year, Silverstein!